Conference paper
ATTITUDES TOWARDS A BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER UNIT - A SMALL-SCALE QUALITATIVE SURVEY
Jakub Nagrodzki
; School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Jorge Zimbron
; Springbank Ward, Fulbourn Hospital, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Fulbourn, Cambridge, UK
Abstract
Background: Springbank Ward, Fulbourn Hospital, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, is a Borderline
Personality Disorder (BPD) unit employing positive risk-taking, allowing for relevant psychological therapies to be carried out.
The aim of this survey was to identify staff and patient attitudes to Springbank Ward. Previous research has not addressed the
question of patient and staff perception of these therapeutic approaches.
Subjects and methods: We used a qualitative open-ended semi-structured survey of staff and patients (n=2+4, respectively). We
gathered information on the perception of the unit, staff, safety and the positive and negative aspects of the ward. Interview
transcripts and participation notes were coded and categorised for emerging themes.
Results: The four main themes were: views on the unit: ‘safe space’, ‘opportunity’, ‘community’; views on the programme: ‘successful’,
‘skills-based’, involving patients in their own recovery; views on staff: important part of the therapeutic process by delivering
elements of dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT); views on safety: patients and staff feel safe in the context of positive risk-taking.
Conclusions: The long-term therapeutic programme offered at Springbank is perceived positively by both patients and staff.
Involving patients actively in their recovery remains a powerful tool. The delivery of DBT by nursing staff contributes significantly to
the positive perception of the unit. Positive risk-taking is perceived to be a good and safe strategy.
Keywords
Borderline Personality Disorder; surveys and questionnaires; therapeutic community
Hrčak ID:
264213
URI
Publication date:
4.9.2019.
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